S.F. style, elusive as ever

What is San Francisco style? We’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about this, so we rushed out to the S.F. Fashion Week workshop on this topic on Saturday. Brandin Baron-Nusbaum, a professor at UC Santa Cruz who also teaches at the Art Academy University in San Francisco, rolled out a photo-driven presentation called “Fogbound: In Search of ‘San Francisco Style.’ “

His goal was to get the group to “codify” San Francisco style, but all most could agree on was that there’s a San Francisco “uniform” that might vary by neighborhood but usually includes a bag capable of carrying a day’s worth of stuff; an all-purpose jacket or hoodie; denim; and perhaps a T-shirt.

The street style photos (our favorite kind!) picked up on some fascinating similarities, particularly when it comes to colors. Inspired more by our urban and natural surroundings than by Pantone, he posited, San Franciscans tend to favor chromatic hues with hints of “decay” rather than overly purely saturated colors. Examples:

Mike Kepka

Another view: the urban nomad, prepared for sudden climate changes.

Orange: Color of the Giants, Golden Gate Bridge, construction cones.

Green: Used as an accent color, usually a yellow green.

Brown or black: Not pure, but with reddish undertones.

“Mist”: Gray, the color of smoke or fog.

Like the copper de Young, which will change colors over time, even neutrals like green or white have dirty undertones. Stripes reflect the city’s linear orientation, T-shirts tend to use oversize graphics, reflecting a graphics-obsessed populace, while a “sport utility” mentality also drives dressing. (A nice work outfit might be topped by a polar fleece coat or vest.)

But San Francisco has also made some historic, long-lived contributions to fashion, including denim (Levi’s), “art wear” (thank you, Kaisik Wong) and individuality that rose out of the 1960s, and casual Fridays (Dockers, khakis, etc.). To that list, Baron-Nusbaum added “Style Noir,” Hitchcock’s well-manicured, put-together heroines, exemplified by Kim Novak in “Vertigo” and Tippi Hendren in “The Birds.”

The assembled crowd of about 25 mostly agreed, while also mentioning the local fondness for remaking or reusing vintage clothes, and the importance of organics and not seeming too fashion-conscious. Some discussion of particular neighborhood uniforms also ensued. One person wondered, earnestly, if there was anything we might do to make San Francisco a “fashion capital.” (It was stated up front that even if the City once was a fashion capital, it no longer is.)

This season in particular seems to be suited to San Francisco: layers, dark palette (gray, burgundy, brown); clunky boots and shoes; dramatic or theatrically influenced ensembles.

Discuss: San Francisco style — Eclectic pastiche, bygone relic or still waiting for its close-up?